This is TRULY one of the best manga out there. I fell in love with the characters, plot, fantasy elements, and most importantly, THE ARTWORK! I am always thrilled and get goosebumps every time they stare intensely and it's almost as if they're alive! It's been years since the last time I read manga again (back then I really like it when I was still in junior high) but during high school and until now (I'm currently in college) I haven't touch the mangas. I remember Akatsuki no Yona as one of the best, and the most memorable manga, but I've left out a lot of chapters since last time so I read it again from the very first chapter. I'd say that this manga can stir up your feelings like a roller coaster. One time you'd laugh yo ass off because it's hilarious and at one time you can cry a lot because it's very heart-breaking. I admire Yona and every character in it. I suggest you to read this if you like a bunch of handsome men and a cute girl, but none of them are shallow. They are deep, and lovable. This ain't giving you the stigma of reverse harem.

I rate this manga as high as Joou no Hana even if many people might think differently. Like Joou no Hana, this has a compelling storyline, great artwork and some adorable romantic moments. That being said, it does fall into some of the shoujo traps
- all important male characters are Handsome
- Yona is able to make (most) of the main male characters fall in love with her (or at least they have this insta-loyalty thing)
- Big eyes on Yona, her cutesy smile etc etc

Yet some other things different from regular shoujo historical
- Characters have depth (Su-Won is shown to have killed Yona's father and yet he is a wise and just ruler, Yona is depressed by her father's death and just like in real life, does not get over it in 1 chapter. She also does not become a skilled fighter and diplomatic negotiator in a small amount of time)
- the back-stories of the 4 dragons is compelling. The manga shows the pitfalls of believing in some abstract form of power rather than in your own strength.
- Lastly, excellent comedic undertones interspaced by brutal (well fairly brutal for Shoujo standards) war, famine, disease and poverty associated moments.
All in all, worth the read!

I really love this manga it's not like any of the ones that i have read. While it is still not finish and i would go back to the first chapter cause i really get into it. I don't even remember how many times i re-read it and also re-watch the anime cause i really love it. Can't wait for its update cause it really get exciting

Super good, the art is amazing and detailed, its definitely not the basic shoujo art. The story and character development is impeccable. there is humor and i personally think its the best historical romance manga out there, the romance is a little slow but the amazing story makes up for it 100%

I am in love with this series. I'll try to hold myself back from going on an endless rant, but here are a few of my favorite elements of this series.

1. Beautiful character growth and relationships. Kusanagi does a wonderful job with making her characters believable, distinctive and charming in their own right. I find all most all the characters in this series to be interesting and enjoyable, even the antagonists. But the way these characters interact with one another really drives it home. The relationships build over time and you gradually come to learn more about each character's history and personality in a very natural way. The same goes for the romance. Disclaimer: I am a fan of slow romances because you can generally see their feelings grow and change over time and this is indeed a slow romance. Kusanagi does this very well. Hak and Yona have this bond that just cannot broken; you can tell that they have the utmost trust in one another and would do anything for the other. It's so freakin' cute. And watching them go from childhood friends to kindred spirits to <spoiler> Yona kissing him </spoiler> makes you feel like you really know them.

2. Plot. AnY is technically a shoujo, but it is just as much a fantasy, historical, comedy and action. It's got all the elements of shoujo that I like (heart-pounding moments, bishies, etc.) without making them contrived or predictable. It's a nice blend of everything. Thanks to this, the plot doesn't fall to the wayside to make room for more shoujo-esque moments. In my opinion, the plot reads more like an epic instead of "there's one bad guy we need to defeat and we'll face his minions on the way", which is more common in the fantasy/romance genre. Instead, Yona's goal changes several times over the course of the story, each time growing more ambitious in scale. At the same time, there is the overarching prophecy plot line concerning King Hiryuu and the Dragons that readers still no little about (hopefully that'll change soon). As a quick aside, this manga has some great laugh out loud moments. Sometimes the comedy is subtle, but man, it has made me laugh quite a few times!

3. Art. I love Kusanagi's art style. I read her previous work NG Life and liked it there, but it's only gotten better with Akatsuki no Yona. Her attention to costume detail is exceptional and the art is always very clean and lovely.

4. Lack of annoying shoujo tropes or stereotypes. This point kind of speaks for itself, but what I mean is characters aren't made to do dumb or unreasonable things just for the sake of drama/romance/angst or whatever. No ex-girlfriends/boyfriends or silly love triangles to stir the pot, Yona does not remain a weak lead, Hak is not a possesive or jerk-ish love interest (quite the opposite), and despite the harem tag I'd say there are only 2 people that are actually in love with the female MC, which is refreshing.

Anyways, I could go on and on but the main point of my review is this: I would highly recommend this series to just about anyone because I really think that it's got aspects that could appeal to the vast majority of people. It's a great series with a solid plot and art and I'm so happy that it's finally being released in English.

I am going crazy about this manga, really looking forward to see how will it go. I think Soo-won is a great king despite what he has done. Every character is wonderful, my favourite is Shin-ah.

I'm not use to read manga but when I first saw this story in the youtube my heart suddenly wants to seek more about this story. It is my first time to read a manga and I want to support this manga until the end.

    Akatsuki no Yona has been among my favourites for quite a few years now (pretty much from when I started reading it, back when the scans were only up to volume three or four). Leaving aside my general fondness for Kusanagi-sensei's works and other personal preferences, this manga has a lot going for it. A few of the comments have left me a bit puzzled, but that happens (as always, please read things for what they are). The basis of the story at first appears to be that of a revenge story, but that is far from the reality. This does not mean that the leads aren't furious (it'd be really strange if they weren't), but rather, there are more important things to them. This alone, even without the other elements of the story, makes for a complicated tale, and the aspect of complexity is heightened by multi-sided conflicts, betrayal, politics, and other elements.
    This includes the characters, all of whom have thorough motivations and are determined to see them through. There is tremendous character growth in all of the important characters, but especially in Yona, who moves from a sheltered princess to a heart-broken refugee to an actual leader. Moreover, the antagonist is something of an anti-villain, in that he does "evil" to a beneficial end as far as the country is concerned; very few of the characters are depicted to be completely "good" or "evil." Nor are any of the characters simple: all of the characters are complex and convincing as people, varying in strength, personality, attitude, and stage in life. Also, Yona's group is far from a reverse harem (and the effect of the "dragon blood" must be considered); Akatsuki no Yona is decidedly not that kind of story.
    The plot is extremely well-written, with very few holes, a suitable pace, and a reasonable course of events and action. The character interactions range from chilling (in the case of enemies) to heartwarming (the best are the interactions of the leads), while the humour is wonderful. The artwork is exceptionally detailed (the first page of chapter sixty-seven, for one), with beautifully executed action, and it is very readable and easy to follow. The characters are very expressive: Kusanagi-sensei will sometimes simplify the face or entire figure of a character for expressiveness and at other times will draw expressions displaying complex emotions which have wonderful subtlety. The work contains many details which make rereading more pleasurable than typical as well (and on multiple levels). Additionally, Kusanagi-sensei's humour fits perfectly and prevents the work from becoming too heavy.
    The total is not something I would ascribe to any particular demographic (and the most similar story I know of is seinen), and I would recommend Akatsuki no Yona to anyone who enjoys stories involving character growth and politics as an element of plot. I'd also recommend Akatsuki no Yona to those who like Chang Ge Xing, +C: Sword and Cornett, Shut Hell, Elhanburg no Tenshi, Koukyuu Days, or Ookami to Koushinryou (or vice versa).

... Last updated on April 29th, 2019, 9:41am

At first, I was like, this isn't the type of manga I want to read. I kept skipping over it and then I needed to read another manga so I just read this thinking that if I hate it I could just drop it. As I was reading, I got hooked. The story and the art are both amazing!!! Now whenever I recommend manga and anime to other people, this is the first thing I recommend.

Usually I'm not the kind of person to read this kind of manga, but this manga series has got me absolutely HOOKED. Each of the characters' personalities are unique and great, and Yona of course is my favorite